Self-checking corn-planter



ATFNT rrrca.

JOSHUA A. SHAWV, OF GILLESPIE, ILLINOIS.

SELF-CHECKING CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 329,091, dated October 27, 1885. Application tiled July 23, 1885. SerialNo.1T2,3G8. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSHUA A. SHAW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gillespie, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self- Ohecking Corn-Planters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had herein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a plan or top view of the improved self-checking corn-planter, showing one of the marking and checking devices elevated out of operation. Fig. 2 is a section taken longitudinally and vertically through the machine, on one side of the center thereof, as indicated by the dotted line .90 w on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front view and section in detail through one of the corn-boxes, showing one of the marking and checking devices and the indicator.

This invention relates to certain improvements on self-checking corn-planters, which will be fully understood from the following description, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings.

The main frameA of the machine is mounted on two transporting-wheels, B B, the latter one of which turns loosely on its axle B, and the other is fast on this axle. On axle B are two toothed clutchinghubs, C O. The hub Ois fast on its axle, and the hub G is loose thereon, except when engaged with the hub O. The hub G is constructed with a camshaped groove, a, a ratchet-surface, a, and a grooved collar, a and it is held in gear with hub O by a helical spring, I).

D designates a hand-lever, which is pivoted to an arm or standard of the frame A, so that it can be vibrated laterally for the purpose of disengaging hub G from hub 0 when it is desired to stop dropping. This hand-lever can also be vibrated longitudinally, and to a lateral extension of 'ita spring-actuated pawl, c, is applied, connected by a rod, 0, to an angular hand-grasp, 0 By means of this pawl the attendant can actuate the seed-slide when the machine is stationary, thereby enabling him to adjust the dropping at any time to the position of a check, so that the corn can always be dropped in the proper hill, either in starting the machine at the end of a row or at any other point.

frame A. The rear end of this lever enters,

the cam-groove a in the hub O, and receives vibration therefrom when the machine is moved forward, and this hub is in gear with the hub O. The front end of the lever E is longitudinally slotted at cl, and passes freely through a slot in connectingblock d of the two seed-s1ides e e, which slot d recei'vesa pin vertically through it. The vibrating movements of the lever E thus impart a rectilinear reciprocating motion to the two seed-dropping slides. The slides e 6 work through two cornboxes, F F, which are secured upon the ends of the beam G of the runnerframe H, to which the runners or drill-openers are secured. The runner-frame, its runners H, the seed-boxes, and seed-guides may be constructed in the usual well-known manner, and provided with a rigid draft tongue, I, and this frame is hinged at h to the. main frame A. The lever used for depressing and raising the runnerframe ispreferably arranged on the side thereof. To the extensions G of the beam G arms J are connected by pivots 9, so that the markers J, which are secured to the outer ends of said arms, can accommodate themselves freely to the undulations of the surface of the ground, and also so that either one or both of the arms J can be turned up against the corn-boxes; To the heels of the markers J, I attach the pointed checkers K by pivots It, so that they can be vibrated crosswise of the impressions made by the markers and caused to leave well-defined checks in the surface of the ground, indicating exactly where the hills should be. The upper arms of the checkers K have end- Wise movable rods Z linked to them,which are guided by eyes fixed into the rear sides of the arms J, and to the inner ends of the rods 5 rodsm are linked, which are detachably con nected by hooks to a cross-piece, n, rigidly secured to the lever E just in rear of its front slotted end. Each marker-arm is sustained against backward strain, when depressed, by a front brace-rod, p, linked to the front crossbeam of the runner-frame, and each markerarm is provided with a rope or chain, 1', passed through a pulley-standard, s, on a corn-box,

' Only one marker is used at atime, and the machine is provided with two, to save time andlabor of changing a single marker from i one side of the machine to the other at theends of the rows. At the middle of the length of the beam G, and to the rear edge thereof, I secure a pointed indicator, L,which is in sight of the driver when on his seat, and which serves to direct him how to guide the machine, so that the dropping will always be at the checks. The said indicator should always point to the lines in the earth made by the mark er and to the checks made by the checker.

It will be observed that the same motion that drops the corn works the checkers.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. In a cornplanter, the combination, with the vibrating lever which actuates the drop ping slides, of apivoted arm bearing a marker and checker, the actuatingrods'l m, linked 3. The combination, in a corn planter, of an articulating line-marker, a checker,K, pivoted to its heel to vibrate at right angles tothe line of draft, and means for vibrating said checker simultaneously with the dropping movements of the seed-slides e e, as shown and described.v

In testimony whereof'I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSHUA A. SHAW. Witnesses:

B. P. MoDANInL, WM. H. CLARK, 

